Database Users

Is the camera this bad?

I've heard too many negative reviews about the camera and that it can be a deal breaker..so which camera is better iphone 6's camera or the axon 7's camera?

Bought the phone because previous one was stolen few days before I went traveling in China. Been more than happy with the pictures it takes. Panorama is cool too. It struggled with low light, but it improving noticably with every update.
Uploaded a few pics from a national park in China for you. You be the judge. All pics were made with auto mode.
https://apexalpha.stackstorage.com/index.php/s/NZeWb0ifRNf02aM
I have to say though. The iPhone costs $300 more. If you care so much go for the Galaxy S7 for camera (and Android)

Actually not that bad
I remember hearing tons of negative reviews on the camera and being worried that it wasn't going to be that good but after using the phone for about a week I can honestly say the camera is pretty good. It does struggle a bit in low light, though but that's simply because of the amount of megapixels. In my opinion, some reviewers are just a bit picky

memo45 said:
I've heard too many negative reviews about the camera and that it can be a deal breaker..so which camera is better iphone 6's camera or the axon 7's camera?
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I'm coming from a Nexus 6P and the Axon 7 camera just doesn't compare, especially in low light. The 6P had a great camera. That being said, since B27 came out things have improved noticeably and while the camera still isn't ad good as the 6P, it's more usable now and does produce decent enough shots in low and pretty good ones in good light.
Sent from my ZTE A2017U using Tapatalk

Low light scenes are very challenging for the camera. ZTE really need to improve the HDR processing, where it can't touch 2015's Nexus phones and where it trails the much cheaper Honor 7.
There's not much sun where I am and I'm really noticing the difference.
You can certainly get better-looking results by playing with white balance in manual mode but that won't help you if you want to snap a darker foreground without blowing out all the background detail - a trick the Nexus phones' HDR+ excels at. I know they are deadly slow but I'd be happy to put up with much longer exposure times if it meant better pictures.

Could you please provide some selfie snaps as I'm kindda of a selfie guy?
Also I currently have the iPhone 5 so if the axon's camera is worse than the iphone 5 I might go with the oneplus 3 even though I hate its 1080p screen

memo45 said:
Could you please provide some selfie snaps as I'm kindda of a selfie guy?
Also I currently have the iPhone 5 so if the axon's camera is worse than the iphone 5 I might go with the oneplus 3 even though I hate its 1080p screen
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There's such thing as a sefie guy?

kidnova said:
There's such thing as a sefie guy?
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At least where I live?

Could someone Post some selfies?

Buying G4 Plus for Camera

Hello,
I have read mixed reviews of the G4 Plus camera, while DxoMark gives it a score of 84. Many others consider it average in day light and worst in low light,
can anyone can post unedited/un-cropped images for sample. Is the G4 Plus a good buy as camera phone ?
Thank you.

In my experience it's a very good camera for a phone. Pictures here won't mean probably too much, since you have no reference point and the low resolution imposed by XDA.

Okay, let me tell you my experience. It's a good camera overall. Takes very vivid and sharp images in daylight ie in good conditions. But It has an average to above-average performance in low light conditions but..but..but.. certainly better than many phones that are in its price range. Another thing I wanna mention is that it struggles to snap moving objects. It's 'cause the g4 plus lacks optical image stabilization. I think for many of us It'd be a big deal. For me it's NOT.
I would certainly recommend this phone for phone photography.
Hit like if this post helped you

tobey_onk said:
Okay, let me tell you my experience. It's a good camera overall. Takes very vivid and sharp images in daylight ie in good conditions. But It has an average to above-average performance in low light conditions but..but..but.. certainly better than many phones that are in its price range. Another thing I wanna mention is that it struggles to snap moving objects. It's 'cause the g4 plus lacks optical image stabilization. I think for many of us It'd be a big deal. For me it's NOT.
I would certainly recommend this phone for phone photography.
Hit like if this post helped you
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Does this moving objects lag happens in manual mode as well ? when shutter is set to higher speed or only in auto mode ?
i think the fastest shutter speed is 1/5 in pro mode can you confirm this ?
Thanks

For camera, this phone is goooood.....?
But you should also pay attention to other issues like heating while camera is in use for more time and screen burn and ghosts touch..
( while screen burn and ghost touch is not common in all device, but if your luck is working wrong then you will have to face them )

tobey_onk said:
but..but..but.. certainly better than many phones that are in its price range.
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I seriously doubt that is another phone with a better camera at this price point ($300). In low level light or in daylight. You need to move up to $700 to get a better camera (like added optical zoom and stabilization).
Now, I always say that phones cannot compete with dedicated cameras, therefore they should not be used for planned photo sessions (like when you expect to have great subjects).

Well HTC desire 628 ( my last phone ) gave shutter speed of 1/8000. so i don't want to get anything lower than that. Other option i got is ZTE Nubia Z11 which has an Sony Exmor 298 but not sure if its good enough
https://youtu.be/U8PITTNu7fI?t=179
Thanks

dranzer006 said:
Does this moving objects lag happens in manual mode as well ? when shutter is set to higher speed or only in auto mode ?
i think the fastest shutter speed is 1/5 in pro mode can you confirm this ?
Thanks
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will try it.

The camera is good for the phone price but it has some quirks which make me irritated.
1. Slow focus, 1 in 3 shots would not have got focused, I notice this issue in pics with people, workaround is to wait additional second after it shows as focused, not always practical. This is probably biggest flaw of this phone. DxO remarks this in their review as well.
2. My earlier phone was nexus 5, OIS made the photos 99% of the time sharp and blur free. With G4 I have to keep my hands extremely steady in poor lighting.
3. I also find the images to be bit over sharpened, not a big deal though. Dynamic range is not that great either, has tendency to blow out sky and highlights.
4. Wide angle lens, didn't like this as objects seem to get curved across the edges of pic, this can and should have been fixed via post processing but moto decided to ignore it.
5. Finally the video recording with EIS is great but heats up the phone like crazy if shooting for long time.
For the price of phone I can forgive issue 2 and 3 but 1st one makes me hate the phone camera as I need to always check if it came out alright. Had I known it before I bought I would have skipped it.
Compared to phones in this price range though it's still decent and great when it works well. Most of the phone seems to have similar issues in this price range.

Photo quality

Say "cheese", then rate this thread to express how photos taken with the Moto Z2 Force come out. A higher rating indicates that photos offer rich color (without over-saturating), sharp detail (with all subjects in-focus), and appropriate exposure (with even lighting).
Then, drop a comment if you have anything to add!

So far I'm pretty pissed off with the camera. I recently tested the LG G6, Huawei Mate 9, OnePlus 5, and now the Moto Z2 Force which I was hoping would be my dream phone. I owned the Z Force and so far and a bit disappointed. The Camera seems to have potential but the software is terrible, at least on my specific device. The camera is plagued with shutter lag which really seems to take a toll on picture quality. Pro mode is what really upset me with only having the option of 1/4 for shutter speed as the longest time for exposure. I have taken a great deal of pictures to compare with the phones listed above, so far the Huawei Mate 9 has had the best camera in my opinion. Obviously, this is totally objective as views will change per individual. I am by no means a photography expert, but I am always in search of a great camera in a smartphone. The biggest reason for my angry toward the quality of the Z2F camera is the retail cost of the phone, I really thought this would be a camera I would have loved. It seems like I may wait to see how the Essentials Phone turns out and am very curious about the Nokia 8, both in terms of camera. To date I think the use of a dual camera, one being monochrome and the other RGB, is the best implementation. Please let me know if the inconsistent shutter I'm facing is just a problem with my unit or if other's share it as well. I really had my heart/mind set on this phone being able to go toe to toe with others in its price range. Side note, the LG G6 wide angle lens was great for taking pictures, I was surprised that I liked the secondary camera being a wide angle lens as it allowed for unique perspective. I let go of the LG G6 because my father broke his phone and really thought the Z2F would be the phone of my dreams.
Update: Twist for camera sometimes hangs and after some time force closes. This has also happened on 2 occasions when opening camera app, viewfinder is black followed by hang and crash.

Ksehwail said:
So far I'm pretty pissed off with the camera. I recently tested the LG G6, Huawei Mate 9, OnePlus 5, and now the Moto Z2 Force which I was hoping would be my dream phone. I owned the Z Force and so far and a bit disappointed. The Camera seems to have potential but the software is terrible, at least on my specific device. The camera is plagued with shutter lag which really seems to take a toll on picture quality. Pro mode is what really upset me with only having the option of 1/4 for shutter speed as the longest time for exposure. I have taken a great deal of pictures to compare with the phones listed above, so far the Huawei Mate 9 has had the best camera in my opinion. Obviously, this is totally objective as views will change per individual. I am by no means a photography expert, but I am always in search of a great camera in a smartphone. The biggest reason for my angry toward the quality of the Z2F camera is the retail cost of the phone, I really thought this would be a camera I would have loved. It seems like I may wait to see how the Essentials Phone turns out and am very curious about the Nokia 8, both in terms of camera. To date I think the use of a dual camera, one being monochrome and the other RGB, is the best implementation. Please let me know if the inconsistent shutter I'm facing is just a problem with my unit or if other's share it as well. I really had my heart/mind set on this phone being able to go toe to toe with others in its price range. Side note, the LG G6 wide angle lens was great for taking pictures, I was surprised that I liked the secondary camera being a wide angle lens as it allowed for unique perspective. I let go of the LG G6 because my father broke his phone and really thought the Z2F would be the phone of my dreams.
Update: Twist for camera sometimes hangs and after some time force closes. This has also happened on 2 occasions when opening camera app, viewfinder is black followed by hang and crash.
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Camera shutter speed seems to be a stock app issue mostly. I have CameraZoom FX and that works better at taking the picture quickly. I do expect this to improve as the device matures and some updates get pushed out to it.
That being said, the overall photo quality seems to be pretty good overall. The S8 I am leaving does a better job of handling multiple light levels (like say bright window light in an otherwise dimly lit room), but I do think the Z2F has some promise for sure.
I do agree that I think the shutter lag is very 2015.....so hoping Moto does fix that

disappointing camera
Ksehwail said:
The Camera seems to have potential but the software is terrible, at least on my specific device. The camera is plagued with shutter lag which really seems to take a toll on picture quality. Pro mode is what really upset me with only having the option of 1/4 for shutter speed as the longest time for exposure.
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I agree with this. The camera app is terrible. I came from the HTC 10 into this phone and the HTC blows it out of the water as far as camera quality goes, and I doubt there's any reason for that as far as the sensor/hardware goes There are also other apps that don't seem to access the front flash on this phone, I.E. Instagram, snapchat, etc. could be a driver issue or something, but motorola needs to get it together with the Android O update.

Has any compared picture quality with Open Camera and the google camera app?

Camera App Update
I just noticed that they added two features to the camera app. Object recognition and landmark recognition.They said that they included some bug fixes but did not elaborate. Hopefully they will continue to work on the app and image quality will improve as the phone matures. I think there is potential to improve low light photo's seeing that the black and white sensor should aid low light photography.
So far I am very happy with my photo's. I am a casual user and happy with the images. Realistically I do not think one can expect DSLR quality on a mobile phone. Maybe one day....

I've used several third party apps, and this camera is total trash compared to even my nearly three year old Galaxy S6.. I have to place dramatic Instagram-style filters on everything to hide how crappy this camera is.

I took this picture with full manual mode and it's quite good for me

why not use Hasellblad?

RE910177 said:
why not use Hasellblad?
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It's only useful for its optical zoom.

Does anyone have problem with autofocus....? The autofocus on this device is absolutely terrible.

Google Camera port is your friend when it comes to the Z2 Force. Also, Snapseed is a great editor.
Sent from my Moto Z (2) using Tapatalk

xRogerxC said:
Google Camera port is your friend when it comes to the Z2 Force. Also, Snapseed is a great editor.
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So, I'm reading through this thread: https://forum.xda-developers.com/z2-force/themes/app-modded-gcam-hdr-t3735494 ; there seems to be no gcam available for Z2, which would be fully functional. Are you saying you solved this issue and have one that works? Perhaps you can post to the thread with your findings if you did?

Extremely Disappointed with the Camera

I come from LG G4 and the only reason to buy this phone was the camera for me and boy do I hate the goddamn camera on this phone! I loathe both the Rear and Front camera shots. I hate that their image processing is terrible. Their implementation of noise reduction algorithm is horrible for the front camera, and the lack of OIS doesn't help with the shots.
So I guess I am stuck with using pro mode - clicking RAW and processing just to avoid their horrible software implementation.
I just want to get rid of this phone or I prolly will end up using this as a backup phone just for its dash charging ! That is the only thing good thing about this device.
My LG G4 shots here - https://www.flickr.com/photos/giripix/with/37340217741/
I don't have any pictures to compare with OP5 cos the camera is so horrendous !

At this stage of the phone being released 3 months ago you should've already known about the camera 'qualities' from reviews?!

Dont you go for reviews prior to purchasing anything.
The camera isnt that bad, has got better with updates, and here at XDA, smartphones are a lot more than just a camera device.

you bought the phone because of the camera but didn't do enough research for it.
Most people buy this phone because of the Google stock feeling or the overall performance and dev support of the phone.
If you bought it just for the camera might aswel return it ^.^

Agreed with the users that have replied thus far. If you read enough reviews you would know the camera didn't live up to its hype post launch. That's not to say it's a bad camera by any means, but it should have given you a better idea of whether or not this device is for you.
If your primary purchasing factor is the camera, the Google Pixel or Galaxy S8 would have been better options.
Personally I don't find the camera to be that bad, it's really solid in good lighting as well, but to each their own!

The front camera is one of the better ones I've used, and the rear camera isn't "bad" (though could be better).
Sent from my ONEPLUS A5000 using Tapatalk

Who buys a phone for its camera? Its not a primary feature of any phone seeing how its so small it will never receive optimal amounts of light or have a large enough lens to get quality shots at all in any circumstances. Buy a phone for software not hardware. If hardware is nice consider it a bonus. A really good camera is only about 150 dollars. Just carry a nikon around.

Actually, OnePlus heavily marketed the camera; even making a note of it on the sides of the box. It's no surprise at least some people would have bought this thinking the camera was top-notch.
Sent from my ONEPLUS A5000 using Tapatalk

venkig said:
I come from LG G4 and the only reason to buy this phone was the camera for me and boy do I hate the goddamn camera on this phone...
I just want to get rid of this phone or I prolly will end up using this as a backup phone just for its dash charging ! That is the only thing good thing about this device...
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NorthernLight_ said:
At this stage of the phone being released 3 months ago you should've already known about the camera 'qualities' from reviews?!
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a senior member on xda and no research before purchase
why don't you go an get this https://www.ebay.com/p/LG-G4-H815-32GB-Metallic-Gray-Unlocked-Smartphone/218349514

It's a SMARTPHONE camera. It's never going to replace a DSLR. Its actually a good camera. I don't have a problem with the quality at all (though I'm an enthusiast Photographer and know that no phone camera will like a DSLR). Most of the reviews flame the camera as much worse then it really is. That being said... It's totally the OP's fault for there are 50 or more YouTube video reviews on the camera.
To say it's the worst phone you've bought... lol you sound bitter as this phone is the fastest, smoothest phone out there with the best battery and fastest charging phone out there. It's got a very good display, but not the best. I think that is really the only area this phone lags behind flagships... the display.

Im finding it about on par with my I7, slightly worse in low light but focuses much faster.
Worse than my note 8, better than my XZp

It's like the only device that had day 1 reviews from tons of known reviewers so you had all the time in the world to research about the product you're buying and yet you didn't. Yeah camera is crap compared to other flagships, we don't care, move along.

I don't mind the camera, it's decent.

How can you be "extremely disappointed" ?
I receive my OP5 about a week ago and is by far the best smartphone I ever had in term of photos.
I'm coming from a Galaxy S6 how he's a "one of the best photos taker". He has a better camera that the LG G4 if you read the reviews. The best part it's that I think the S6 has a decent rear camera and a awful front camera who made your skin like a doll. Do you know why ? Because Samsung use a simple trick to avoid the noise in the photos : blur all the picture in low light and we can tell that our phones are really good in low light. I can tell you that this phone is really, but really better that my previous S6.
But I have compared with a S7 too (the S8 have the same lens and is considered one of the best photos takers of the market) and a iPhone 6s. He out-performed well all this phones. I don't even talk about the front camera who is simply the best in the market.
The only issue with the rear camera is in the low light, but this can be fixed with the Pro mode or the Google Camera modded with HDR+.

Mi A1: could it be the best choice for a budget phone?

Hi everyone.
I'm looking for a new phone that could be solid and valuable for everyday use, but I have a budget limit of 250 $. I'll certainly buy a top of the line device later but, since my needs are really basic, I prefer to have a cheaper phone along this period, and change it without too many worries once I'll have the chance.
The Mi A1 seems really promising, but I also read mixed thoughts about it. I mainly use the phone for social apps, light gaming and I like to do a lot of photos, but always intended for social use. I'll try to summarize all my doubts:
1) the update plan: A1 is an Android One device. Can I expect a reasonable amount of updates compared to other phones or other devices by Xiaomi with Miui? I'd really hate to buy a phone that will be "dead" (under the updates point of view) soon.
2) Camera: as I said before, I use the camera a lot. I read that A1 allows to take good photos for its price range. The only cons is the quality of the camera under low-light conditions. Beside this, does it have a good camera? Are its limits solvable with updates or are they hardware limits?
3) Front Camera: is it good? I watched some tests, and I noticed it can make good selfies, but I'd like some other feedbacks. Is the front camera good, even if it only is a 5 mp?
So, the final question: do you recommend this phone according to my budget? Are there better phones around with better camera and performance?
As far as I know, A1 is a best buy, since it's difficult to reach the same overall quality price ratio at that price. Other phones on the same price range have better cameras, but worse performances, or they won't get updates anymore. I'd like some other feedbacks before deciding.
Thanks in advance!

as from experience, value for money, YES the MiA1 provide that kan of leverage.. and without NFC though... just to keep that in mind
the front facing camera with 5MP sensor is horrible.. and the rear facing ones, in outdoor light it is great but in low light it doesn't count much in sattisfaction
BUT for the camera purpose, you could root the device with magisk then sideload GCam HDR+ for a better an awesome results :victory: the hardware has many potential, but the software side it's provided by xiaomi themselves and until this day no software update is present..

wait for this years release of phones including note 5, moto g6 play etc. They will have better processor, oreo out of the box( meaning they will have Project Treble). Even with Snapdragon 630 you will get bluetooth 5.0.

adfds said:
wait for this years release of phones including note 5, moto g6 play etc. They will have better processor, oreo out of the box( meaning they will have Project Treble). Even with Snapdragon 630 you will get bluetooth 5.0.
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Go with 630.

wawing_b said:
the front facing camera with 5MP sensor is horrible.. and the rear facing ones, in outdoor light it is great but in low light it doesn't count much in sattisfaction
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That's a really bad news, since the front camera is one of my priorities I was sure it was good, the quality of the shots I found online was more than average :crying:

adfds said:
wait for this years release of phones including note 5, moto g6 play etc. They will have better processor, oreo out of the box( meaning they will have Project Treble). Even with Snapdragon 630 you will get bluetooth 5.0.
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That's a really good advice. Thanks. I guess I have to find a really cheap phone that allows me to survive until some interesting devices come out.

Heisenbear said:
That's a really bad news, since the front camera is one of my priorities I was sure it was good, the quality of the shots I found online was more than average :crying:
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well it might be good..
but if you wanted the best quality in front facing camera I guess you have to look elsewhere and streching your budget a bit to strive fort that quality.. at least a minimal of 8 MP or above for the front camera
and if you still wanted the MiA1, you could side load GCam HDR+ after rooting it... and another one, Portrait cam if I'm not mistaken.. on the hardware side it's plausable, but then on the software side xiaomi hasn't publish any cam app update (yet)

wawing_b said:
well it might be good..
but if you wanted the best quality in front facing camera I guess you have to look elsewhere and streching your budget a bit to strive fort that quality.. at least a minimal of 8 MP or above for the front camera
and if you still wanted the MiA1, you could side load GCam HDR+ after rooting it... and another one, Portrait cam if I'm not mistaken.. on the hardware side it's plausable, but then on the software side xiaomi hasn't publish any cam app update (yet)
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I know, a 8 mp camera would be a sensible improvement, but my low budget limit is due to the fact that it will be only a temporary device, until the moment I'll buy a top-of-the-line smartphone later.
I just need a reliable phone for this period, capable of doing almost everything in an acceptable way.
This explains my question. Is the front camera so horrible? I was pretty satisfied with my iphone 5 front camera, which is only a 1,2 MP. I doubt the shots of a 2017 phone could be worse than those ones

It's not so much the MP that really matters, it's the processing and the sensor. In good lighting, the front camera is not bad. In lower lighting, it makes everyone look like a wax figure (bad processing + high ISO + heavy noise reduction).

goofball2k said:
It's not so much the MP that really matters, it's the processing and the sensor. In good lighting, the front camera is not bad. In lower lighting, it makes everyone look like a wax figure (bad processing + high ISO + heavy noise reduction).
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That's true. It's undeniable, the pics under low-light conditions are really insufficient. I clearly noticed this watching the various samples around. I could be wrong, but it's a common problem for low budget phones, so there're not many choices within that range of price.
I have another doubt, speaking of xiaomi phones. How is the Xiaomi Redmi Note 4x, compared with A1 or other low budget phones? Could it be a valid alternative?

The camera is a shocker and the android one program a joke. Don't even consider it.
Wait.

Value for money.. Yes.. considering the cost to hardware ratio definitely VFM..
Updates is under Mi.. Dont fall for the android one tag.. Buggy os, poor updates.. Almost 5 months and they couldn't solve the contact linking issue..
Back camera takes good pics in good lighting condition.. Front camera module is same as that of Redmi note 4, i've read.. Only problems most pics don't look natural..
Loudspeakers actually loud.. I can hear ringtones for once..
Havent felt audio is that great.. havent experienced white noise issue..
Batterys good..
The biggest letback of the device is its os.. Very poorly developed.. Lots of bugs.. I've had more than 5 redmi devices.. The software experience was solid.. But here its pathetic & very frustrating.. U often get the feeling u r running a WIP custom rom.. So much potential in the phone & very much wasted.. This is the most frustrating device i have used till date.. So this is one device i won't recommend..

as an owner of mia1 , now i would have bought the new nokia 6 (2018) , xiomi is a total disaster with software, i got mia1 thinking google would take care of the software but that would have been to good to be true

wawing_b said:
as from experience, value for money, yes the mia1 provide that kan of leverage.. And without nfc though... Just to keep that in mind
the front facing camera with 5mp sensor is horrible.. And the rear facing ones, in outdoor light it is great but in low light it doesn't count much in sattisfaction
but for the camera purpose, you could root the device with magisk then sideload gcam hdr+ for a better an awesome results :victory: The hardware has many potential, but the software side it's provided by xiaomi themselves and until this day no software update is present..
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Click to collapse
i bought a1 in october and got about 15 updates .

Best choice?
Yes and no.
Some like it some hate it.
I bought it, because it's dirt cheap and has all I need.Clean android(with mi camera and remote), good battery, dual sim, nice design.If you like that and don't want to spend money on pixel, this is a poor man pixel.
If you don't like clean android, it's not for you.
I optimised it, have zero bugs, don't have issues with hissing or screen, or reboots or whatever is reported here.
But others here are reporting that they have bugs.So there might be quality control issues.You can end up with a good unit, or with a bad one.
Bad thing is no kernel source yet, though it's xiaomi, they always delay that for months, but there was a rumour that they will release it till the end of january.We'll see.As a user point of view, not a big deal...but as a developer, it's a crap.
So if you are a developer, it's not for you.
As for updates, they are regular, don't know what others had before, but, just like nexus/pixel line(although it gets updates days after them and it is not on 8.1 yet) it will be covered for 2 years with updates and 3 with security patches.
So...no one can help you with that, but you.If you can, check it in a store, to see if you like it or not.
Sent from my Mi A1 using Tapatalk